Muzzleloader 2020

[KahrMan]

It is a good morning to be in the woods. Good luck everybody. 
 

[Alleycat72]

Just let a 130ish 8pt walk. Got to look at him for about 30 minutes. He got within 25 yards of my stand. 

[KahrMan]

Nice. What gun is that?

[Alleycat72]

4 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

Nice. What gun is that?

Smokeless sabotless muzzleloader on a savage mz action. 

https://www.arrowheadrifles.com/product/paramount/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqJn9BRB0EiwAJ1Sztc1_fmOnrkGjK5IUBXJ2Lfx8yI-beuv0t5J5D11B10y8Smf_1m4vbRoCOXsQAvD_BwE

[gregintenn]

Missed a decent buck right at daylight. Saw 3 bucks, a doe with last year’s fawn, and a coyote. It was slow. I’m guessing because the moon was bright last night combined with this beach weather we’re having.

Got back home and shot a target. Dead on. I guess I’m like Toby Keith...”not as good as I once was”.

[KahrMan]

My nephew saw a buck in real thick cover but didn’t have a shot. All I saw was a bobcat. 

[rugerla1]

It’s really hard to get a grasp of what you’re seeing when you look at this bucks rack. This was the third buck I saw this morning and I put my muzzleloader down and started to let him pass. Then I looked again trying to figure out what I was seeing on his head. I was half standing, twisted to my left, and leaned back against the tree when I shot....the first time. He jumped, looked towards my direction and immediately resumed making scrapes and rubs all the while easing CLOSER to my stand. I couldn’t believe he didn’t run off! I reloaded just knowing that any second he’d be gone like the wind. Was able to stand all the way up and line up the shot like I should have the first time. He ran about 20 yards and dropped 15 yards from my stand. When I realized he was expired I climbed down to look and thought dang, he’s crazier looking than I thought! I’m so happy with this buck, he will probably be the only buck I ever see like this. He has 19 points, 15 of those are scoreable points. It was a fun morning to be out and glad to have a freezer full of meat and a beautiful non-typical rack to talk about for years! I didn’t get to bow hunt as much as I would have liked to but Monday I was in a tree all day and watched bucks chasing doe like it was full rut. I didn’t see one doe today, just this buck and the two early cruisers. But they were daylight cruising and that’s what gets us tore up. I think it’s going to cut loose full force the next cold drop we get. Heck it feels like a beautiful Spring day out there today haha. Hope everyone is enjoying the hunting so far, it’s getting ready to get more fun. 
P.S. Please wear your harnesses and be safe!

 

[Alleycat72]

I let the guy on the left walk. Mistake??

[KahrMan]

21 minutes ago, rugerla1 said:

It’s really hard to get a grasp of what you’re seeing when you look at this bucks rack. This was the third buck I saw this morning and I put my muzzleloader down and started to let him pass. Then I looked again trying to figure out what I was seeing on his head. I was half standing, twisted to my left, and leaned back against the tree when I shot....the first time. He jumped, looked towards my direction and immediately resumed making scrapes and rubs all the while easing CLOSER to my stand. I couldn’t believe he didn’t run off! I reloaded just knowing that any second he’d be gone like the wind. Was able to stand all the way up and line up the shot like I should have the first time. He ran about 20 yards and dropped 15 yards from my stand. When I realized he was expired I climbed down to look and thought dang, he’s crazier looking than I thought! I’m so happy with this buck, he will probably be the only buck I ever see like this. He has 19 points, 15 of those are scoreable points. It was a fun morning to be out and glad to have a freezer full of meat and a beautiful non-typical rack to talk about for years! I didn’t get to bow hunt as much as I would have liked to but Monday I was in a tree all day and watched bucks chasing doe like it was full rut. I didn’t see one doe today, just this buck and the two early cruisers. But they were daylight cruising and that’s what gets us tore up. I think it’s going to cut loose full force the next cold drop we get. Heck it feels like a beautiful Spring day out there today haha. Hope everyone is enjoying the hunting so far, it’s getting ready to get more fun. 
P.S. Please wear your harnesses and be safe!

 

Nice!  Very cool rack. 

[KahrMan]

20 minutes ago, alleycat72 said:

I let the guy on the left walk. Mistake??

Don’t think so. He could be a monster next year. 

[rugerla1]

37 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

Nice!  Very cool rack. 

Thank you!

[gregintenn]

3 hours ago, alleycat72 said:

I let the guy on the left walk. Mistake??

Depends on what you are after. I wouldn’t call it a mistake, but personally, I would have no hesitation whatsoever shooting him.

It looks to me like the racks are much more impressive than the deer carrying them. I’d bet those aren’t very old.

Edited November 8, 2020 by gregintenn

[Quavodus]

Rugerla1, you think he's a older buck or about 2 1/2 year old?

[rugerla1]

1 hour ago, Quavodus said:

Rugerla1, you think he's a older buck or about 2 1/2 year old?

My friend and I both figured he was 3 1/2 definitely no older. Didn’t figure he got all that in 2 1/2 years but knew that he wasn’t 4 1/2 for sure. The TWRA biologists aged him at Flowers and said he was indeed 3 1/2. 

[RED333]

Rugerla1, very cool rack, what did he dress out at? You going to mount the rack?

[rugerla1]

1 hour ago, RED333 said:

Rugerla1, very cool rack, what did he dress out at? You going to mount the rack?

I’ll post up later what he weighed, Flowers Processing was so packed they said he’d text me today with the weight. 
I was going to do a European mount and my wife said no, she wants me to get full shoulder mount done because he’s so different. It’ll be a nice mount when it’s done. 

[gregintenn]

47 minutes ago, rugerla1 said:

I’ll post up later what he weighed, Flowers Processing was so packed they said he’d text me today with the weight. 
I was going to do a European mount and my wife said no, she wants me to get full shoulder mount done because he’s so different. It’ll be a nice mount when it’s done. 

She sounds like a keeper!

[rugerla1]

52 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

She sounds like a keeper!

Indeed! I was worried she’d be mad I was getting another shoulder mount done since they’re not cheap. But instead I was told to do it. Much safer for me when I sleep this way lmao!

[RED333]

20 hours ago, rugerla1 said:

my wife said no, she wants me to get full shoulder mount done because he’s so different.

You married up a good bit!!!

19 hours ago, rugerla1 said:

But instead I was told to do it. Much safer for me when I sleep this way lmao!

Sounds like how TOTMBO and myself get along.

[rugerla1]

3 hours ago, RED333 said:

You married up a good bit!!!

Sounds like how TOTMBO and myself get along.

Yes I sure did Red! 
This muzzleloader weather needs to go on and cool off. I’m back to work this week but off next week. It looks like this Thursday and Friday will be cooler but not sure what next week will bring. 

[Quavodus]

Yeah I'm hoping the weather cools down some.

[gregintenn]

Deer were really active this morning. I still haven’t seen a really good buck though....unless you count the one I ran over this morning on the way to hunt.

He was a nice one.

[rugerla1]

39 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Deer were really active this morning. I still haven’t seen a really good buck though....unless you count the one I ran over this morning on the way to hunt.

He was a nice one.

Man that sucks! Hope it didn’t mess up your truck too bad! I had to work today and made me sucking walking out the door at 4:30 feeing that cold air but not going to the woods lol. But gotta do that dang grown up stuff too. I’m off all this week so hoping my timing was good for vacation. It seems I chose wisely looking at the forecast for Mon Tue and Wed. I’m going out in the morning to be in the stand when the storms clear. Should be good movement I’d say. 
Good luck to everyone going out!

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, rugerla1 said:

Man that sucks! Hope it didn’t mess up your truck too bad! I had to work today and made me sucking walking out the door at 4:30 feeing that cold air but not going to the woods lol. But gotta do that dang grown up stuff too. I’m off all this week so hoping my timing was good for vacation. It seems I chose wisely looking at the forecast for Mon Tue and Wed. I’m going out in the morning to be in the stand when the storms clear. Should be good movement I’d say. 
Good luck to everyone going out!

It is a little Tacoma and a large deer. Miraculously, it did not appear to hurt a thing on the truck! I did have a bit of notice, so I was standing on the brake pedal with both feet when I hit him.

The deer went down a steep embankment into some grown up mess. I went later and tried to find it. No luck. I sure don’t know how he survived.

The weather looks great for you next week, and the rut is in full blast.

Edited November 15, 2020 by gregintenn

[Chris]

The rut is on! Seeing and hearing a lot of chasing. No big bucks yet but a ton of activity this weekend,